Army of the Dead

Conti Films

Shot November 10th - December 1st, 2005Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Premier July 27, 2006
Kimo Theater, Albuquerque, New Mexico

We created this film as part of Albuquerque's Technical-Vocational Institute's Film Tech Training Program. It was originally called "Army of the Dead", but we filmed under the title "Curse of the Anasazi", then switched back to "Army of the Dead" for release.

I was officially a Wardrobe Assistant, but our Wardrobe Mistress didn't put us to work until shooting started so I found work with the Art Department during pre-production. I was put to work as a Set Dressing Fabricator. I cleaned up fake skeletons, made fake gold bricks and added feathers to arrows. Too much fun.

I didn't have a camera on set so here's some screen captures (as you can see by the occasional pause symbol) of how my contributions were used on the film sets.

If you look in the upper right-hand corner you'll see (laying down) the goblet I use for my Art icon.

When we got to the film set we discovered that all Professor Vasquez's wardrobe was brand new with tags on. We had to distress one set of the professor's clothes to look like he had just fought risen-from-the-dead skeleton beings, but there was no plan for the distressing. I called upon my apparel design background and suggested where and how the damage would be done in such a fight i.e. scuffed cuffs, knees, elbows, torn pocket from being grabbed at, etc.

If it were up to me all his pants would have been washed and distressed slightly. That and the post-fight distressing would have been done in pre-production so they would've been ready to go when we got to set.

After all that, the blanket he wrapped himself in when he was rescued obscured the work we did.

Professor Vasquez's shirt before the fighting.

Professor Vasquez's pants before the fighting.

Professor Vasquez's shirt after the fighting.

Wardrobe doubled as Hair and Make-up, including Special Effects Make-up. I assisted our Special Effects Make-up Artist with the continuity of Professor Vasquez's post-fight make-up.